Exceeding Great and Precious Promises

God’s Plan for Eternal Life

In these notes we will, in a brief way, come to grips with some of the vital teachings of the Bible. The notes have been designed only to provide you with an outline of some of the important aspects of these teachings and are in no way a comprehensive covering of all the Bible tells us of these.

We would ask you to read them carefully, to look up the scriptural quotations given and examine them for yourselves, like the Bereans did (Acts 17:11). Used in this way these notes will serve as a ‘key’ for your own efforts to understand God’s Word.

God’s Promise of Eternal Life

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16)

“Search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal life and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39)

• God’s promise is to those who know and understand Him and His son:

Only those who know God and Jesus can believe in them. It is by a searching of the Bible that one can know them and believe on them. Eternal life is the promise held out to WHOEVER will obey God’s Word.

• We must earnestly seek the promise God has made:

• Eternal life is a hope (Titus 3:7). Peter speaks of “EXCEEDING GREAT AND PRECIOUS PROMISES” which to know offers one the hope of “being a partaker of the Divine nature.”

Having seen the importance of knowing these promises, let us turn to the Scriptures that we may also know the substance of the hope that it contains.

The Gospel of The Kingdom Preached by Christ and the Apostles

God’s Promises to Abraham – Genesis 13:14-17

Third promise

And Yahweh said unto Abraham

• Look from the place where thou art, NORTHWARD, SOUTHWARD, EASTWARD AND WESTWARD
• All the land which thou seest TO THEE will I give it and TO THY SEED forever
• I will make THY SEED as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust… then shall THY SEED also BE NUMBERED
• Arise, walk through THE LAND in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give IT unto thee.

What are the meanings and implications of a promise such as this of eternal possession of the hub of the globe by ABRAHAM AND AN INNUMBERABLE POSTERITY?

Interpretation

Excursion into the Future

God is offering us the Blessings of the Seed of Abraham

REPENT = TURN AROUND AND CHANGE YOUR DIRECTION AND WAY OF LIFE

Christ will bring refreshing to those who have prepared for it.

Promises to David

About 1020 BC David came to the throne of Israel. David had a great desire to build a house of worship (or a temple) for God. God did not allow David to build this temple; this was left to Solomon, David’s son (2 Samuel 7:1-10)

Instead God sent the prophet Nathan to David telling him that God would build a house (household or family) for David. David was concerned with a physical dwelling in which God might be worshipped, but God was to do something far greater for David in establishing his family, and guaranteeing a king to rule over his house for ever (2 Samuel 7:11, 12-16)

The promise that God made to David is outlined in 2 Samuel 7:11-16.

Note the following points:

1. God will make a household for David
2. The terms of this promise are to apply after David is dead (when thy days be fulfilled) and buried (thou shalt sleep with thy fathers)
3. David’s “seed”, i.e. a descendant, was spoken of
4. This one would build a house (temple) for God’s name
5. Because of this God would establish “the throne of his kingdom forever”
6. This one would be God’s son
7. Most importantly, to David personally, he would see the fulfillment of these promises, which means he must he resurrected from the dead (see Acts 2:29-34).

David realised that a great deal of time was to elapse before this would be fulfilled (2 Samuel 7:19 – “thou hast spoken of thy servant’s house for a great while to come”)

Fulfilled in Christ

“The book of the generations of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” so commences the New Testament (Matthew 1:1).

The New Testament closely relates the work of Jesus Christ to the promises God made to faithful Abraham and David:

“Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers” (Romans 15:8). See also Luke 1:68-76.

Peter addressed the Jews of his day with these words:

“Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all kindreds of the earth be blessed” (Acts 3:25)

He explains in v.26 that the “blessing” relates to sins being forgiven by accepting Jesus Christ who was the “seed of Abraham” (the one the promise pointed to):

“Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.”

Of all the passages of the New Testament Galatians 3 show clearly the relationship of these promises to Jesus Christ:

“And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen (nations) through faith, preached the gospel to Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed” (v.8)

“That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (v14)

Although the promise referred to a multitude of descendants, it had particular reference to an individual “the son of Abraham”:

“Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He (God) saith not, And to seeds (plural) as of many, but as of one (singular, an individual), And to thy seed, which is Christ”.

The promise had a particular fulfillment in Jesus Christ, as the means by which others through faith would be heirs of the same promise (see v.26-29)

“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (v.26)

“For as many of you as have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ” (v27)

“And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise” (v.29)

Before the Lord Jesus Christ was born Isaiah prophesied (Isaiah 9:6-7):

“Unto us a son is born… of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever”.

This aspect of the promise to David was announced to Mary by the angel Gabriel:

“…thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest (cp. 2 Samuel 7:14); and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David; and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever” (Luke 1:31-33)

Clearly then both the promises to Abraham and David find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

Fulfilled in the Kingdom of God

Summarising the promises, we see that the promises to Abraham relate to:

• a seed
• a land

whereas the promise to David spoke of a king.

The land of Israel was clearly spoken of and Abraham was told that he and his seed would inherit it forever. He died without receiving his inheritance (Acts 7:5; Hebrews 11:13). But we are told that those who are baptised into Christ become joint-heirs with Abraham and Christ (Galatians 3:27-29). In other words, they will inherit it at the same time as Abraham (see Hebrews 11:39-40).

Abraham is dead (Hebrews 11:13)! If he is to receive the promise he must be resurrected. Jesus taught that Abraham would be raised from the dead (Matthew 22:30-32). He said to others “Ye shall see Abraham… in the Kingdom of God and you yourselves thrust out” (Luke 13:28).

David is dead. If his throne is to be established before him (i.e. in his presence) David must also be resurrected.

Psalm 16:9-10 states        

“…My flesh also shall rest in hope”.

The hope of resurrection – v.10

“For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption”.

Two resurrections are spoken of: Jesus (God’s Holy One) and David’s own resurrection.

When will the promises be completely fulfilled? Not until Jesus Christ reigns on earth as king on the throne of David.

This is referred to in the Scriptures as the restored kingdom of Israel (see Acts 1:6). Jesus will come again (Acts 1:11) to fulfill all the promises God has made (Acts 3:19-21).